Bloom’s taxonomy is a classification of thinking, moving though six layers of complexity frequently described as a staircase from lower to higher ordered thinking. Initially proposed in 1954 and revised in 2001 it offers a framework to consider teaching and…Read more

Listening is not learning. The impact of The Matrix thought that reading is not teaching recently struck me as having an important and essential corollary; listening is not learning. This has clear implications for the presenter in their construction of…Read more

Information is not knowledge. Sitting in a library does not make you clever. Pouring water over your head does not satisfy a thirst. Reading out a ton of information in a presentation does not make the audience cleverer. It may…Read more

You are doing it wrong if you think a presentation is about the transmission of a large quantity of information. You are doing it wrong if you think the presentation is a script or a handout. You are doing it…Read more

The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction film in which humans experience a world that is not real. Morpheus explains to Neo that his perception of the world is computer simulated and the true world is The Matrix. He explains…Read more

A recent interchange on twitter was sullied by one commenter using the phrase “presentation gestapo”. This abuse was intended to express their disapproval of people who express an opinion on twitter about presentations, an opinion which runs contrary to theirs….Read more

Room 101 is a room in The Ministry of Love from the book by George Orwell, “1984.” Here the Party breaks down the resistance of prisoners exposing them to “their worst nightmare, the thing they fear most in the world.”…Read more

“Busy slides” happen for many reasons; the script, something to read, the handout , what everyone does, “because of learning styles”, ”academic” and because it is quick and easy. They are not effective, they limit the message, they are not…Read more

Presentations are your responsibility. Presentation skills are not innate. Like all other professional skills, they require education, example and feedback to develop. Unfortunately, there is little education, the standard achieved is at best mediocrity and feedback for those delivering presentations is seldom…Read more

A simple question that belies a lack of understanding of the value of a presentation. “Could you email me your presentation please?” A presentation is the product of the story (p1), the media (p2) and its delivery (p3). A presentation…Read more